"From the beginning
of the relocation programme and until 20 January 2017 a total
of 523 unaccompanied minors had been registered to participate
in the relocation programme. 350 had been accepted for relocation
until the same date, of whom 119 by Finland. However, many Member
States do not accept certain categories of unaccompanied children.

The most serious cases
concern girls under 18 years old, who are married, and sometimes
even have children of their own. Many Member States refuse to
accept these girls along with their families on the ground that
the marriage is illegal (which is the case in all Member States),
not taking into account either that this is not sufficient grounds
for refusing relocation, under the relevant decisions of the
European Council, or that relocation is definitely in the best
interests of the persons concerned"

"Following the
reports made by AYS and other Croatian NGOs (Centre for Peace
Studies, Jesuit Refugee Service, Welcome Initiative)
regarding police violence and push-backs of refugees on the Serbo-Croatian
border, we are finally seeing a positive development of the situation.
Continuous to our reports, a meeting with the Public Advocate
was held yesterday in which Are You Syrious?, the Jesuit Refugee
Service and Centre for Peace Studies were present."

GREECE: Out of sight,
out of mind

"Our volunteer
reported from Skaramangas, the biggest remaining camp in Greece
with about 3,200 people (almost 50 percent are under 18). It
is another place where strict rules are imposed for all those
who want to visit. The camp is under the jurisdiction of the
Ministry of Migration and run by the employees of this institution.
For anybody who wants to visit, approval from the Ministry is
required, even if it is personal visit to some of the residents.
No independents volunteers are allowed inside. However, the person
in charge of the camp does not see this as restriction of freedom
for residents and explains that the reason is to keep people
who are living inside safe. It looks more like keeping away all
those who want to see the real situation inside the camp."

MACEDONIA: Refugees
sent back to Greece in the middle of night

"Almost all the
refugees that were placed in the transit center Tabanovce, yesterday
night were unexpectedly and without any explanation sent back
to Greece, TV Nova informs. Its about 49 refugees from
Syria and Iraq, family members, women, children, elderly people
that were staying in the center for almost a year, reports Legis."

SWEDEN: Journalist convicted
of smuggling

"Fredrik Önnevall,
the swedish journalist who with his team was accused of people
smuggling of a young Syrian boy, was convicted yesterday. It
was, as AYS has been reported about previously, in 2014 that
Önnevall and the team from SVT took the refugee boy with
them from Greece when they traveled through Europe to make a
documentary for SVT (public service channel) called Fosterland
about right wing populism.

Önnevall, the photograph
Claes Elofsson and the interpretor that also was a part of the
team is according to the courts decesion guilty of people smuggling.
They will all get three months probation and community service."

"Between 2011 and
2016, some 630,000 irregular migrants and refugees1 reached Italy
via the Central Mediterranean. Some were successfully smuggled
across, while others were rescued at sea and disembarked in Italy.
More than 13,000 lost their lives attempting the crossing, and
many more died on their journey through the Sahara."

"This guidance
on how to reduce the risk of refoulement in border management
situations aims to support the EU and its Member States when
implementing integrated border management measures with the assistance
of third countries. It also intends to mitigate possible risks
of being held accountable.

It is not comprehensive,
and Member States have to comply with all applicable obligations
both within as well as beyond the scope of these guidelines,
including those set forth in international, European and national
law."

"A French farmer
who became a local hero for helping African migrants cross the
border from Italy and providing them with shelter has been given
a suspended 3,000 fine for aiding illegal arrivals.

Cédric Herrous
trial in a court in Nice had become a focal point in the ongoing
debate about refugees and migrants in France, and the French
law against helping or sheltering them. The current Socialist
government amended the law against assisting migrants, but it
remains illegal to help them cross borders."

"Germany, which
has taken in over one million asylum seekers since 2015, on Thursday
(9 February) announced plans to speed up the deportation of those
denied refugee status  but controversy flared over sending
people back to war-torn Afghanistan.

Chancellor Angela Merkel
 who faces a re-election bid in September amid voter backlash
over the mass influx  won agreement from leaders of Germanys
16 state governments on a repatriation plan, which she said would
quickly be drafted as a proposed law....

Among the planned measures
is the establishment of national deportation centres
aimed at coordinating federal and state operations. Financial
incentives will also be offered for those who return voluntarily
under the plan."

"Hungary is ready
to build a second line of fencing on its southern border to keep
out migrants if the situation worsens this year or next, Prime
Minister Viktor Orbáns chief of staff said on Thursday
(9 February).

Hungary has been building
fences since the beginning of the migration crisis in 2015. Hundreds
of thousands of migrants and refugees trekked through Hungary
and Austria in 2015 as they sought to reach wealthy European
nations."

&COPY; Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X.
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